Biometrics competition ramps up, plays big role in IoT

Biometrics is playing an increasingly important role in security and “connected” devices. Fingerprint scanners are especially vital in this area, as the technology has been proven the most practical means of using biometric data for security. The technology is still evolving and competition intensifies as companies come up with unique applications and new products.

A breakthrough in fingerprint scanning technology has come from Sonavation with its new SonicTouch Fingerprint Sensor. SonicTouch is an ultrasound biometric authenticator that can be integrated in any device without having to change the design. Earlier this year, Sonavation also announced that it had bonded a ultrasonic biometric sensor to glass, technology that could possibly end the need for dedicated fingerprint sensors.

Swedish company Fingerprint Cards has also been having a landmark year thanks to increased demand for fingerprint scanners. When the company said in September it supplies sensors to Huawei, its stock jumped 11 percent. The company’s shares have increased more than 1,500 percent in 2015. The company has recently struck deals with Vivo, which is using FPC sensors in the X6 and X6 Plus phones, and Xiaomi, which uses an FPC sensor in the Redmi Note 3. Opportunities in biometrics do not just exist in mobile, though. Synaptics, considered by some to be the market leader, gets 27 percent of its business in the PC sector. The company has also recently been working with Lenovo.

Biometrics in China is not just all about buying sensors from abroad, however. China’s own Goodix is noted by Reuters as an up-and-comer, as is Taiwan’s Egis Technology. Reuters also notes that Qualcomm is working on a sensor of their own. The market is hardly settled, as FPC’s growth illustrates. It is also expected that IoT and smart home products will provide a big opportunity for biometric security. China manufacturers are already producing things like fingerprint-enabled door locks. The more devices become “smart” and “connected”, more emphasis will be placed on home security. Biometrics is seen as big role player in the future.